The Student Government Association discussed travel funding, preventing sexual assault on campus and adding emergency phone numbers on student IDs during its meeting last Friday.
Cynthia Rios, an accounting senior and vice president of Enactus, spoke on behalf of her organization about its travel fund application for a competition on May 3.
Applications open the first day of the school year during the fall semester. Students may also apply for summer funding. Applicants can receive awarding for up to 20 students, $500 per conference participant or $250 per student attending. The SGA can only award students funding once a year.
“We are a business-form organization,” Rios said. “We are here because I was told funding or applications to get funding for travel grants is pretty much a year in advance or a semester in advance before the actual event.”
Rios said she was unaware of this and had applied for the grant a month ago to obtain funds for an upcoming annual competition.
“We actually won regionals four years in a row,” she said. “So, we actually do go to competition to represent the school … and it’s nationally known, and the organization is also nationally known.”
She said they plan to win at the Enactus national-level competition.
“Knowing that you guys kind of separate it a semester in advance, it should be known to the student body so that we don’t try to apply late,” Rios said.
She told the SGA applicants who are planning on competing should be reviewed first.
“I’m not fighting to get money like now,” Rios said. “There are multiple student orgs that go just to party … and we actually have to present in front of like a million people.”
Kathryn Alonso, SGA’s secretary of communication and a mass communication senior, said part of the issue is that the funds are not marketed as well as they could be.
“Another half of it is that they are reviewed,” Alonso said. “The point of it being, first come, first serve. When we review [an application] … we can only do with what we are given.”
She said the best the SGA can do is better advertise the funds.
“I completely understand what you mean, but most of the people that we do [fund], I’m pretty sure … they don’t just go for fun,” Alonso said. “They go for conferences and competitions as well.”
Alonso also explained to Rios about first come, first serve funding.
“We have to use all of the money, because if we don’t, they’ll take it away,” Alonso said.
In other business, first-year SGA intern Mauricio Salinas suggested finding a way to include on-campus emergency phone numbers on student IDs.
“I noticed that I carry around a student ID at all times, and it’s completely blank on the back,” Salinas said. “I don’t think it would take too much resources to actually print out campus PD’s number, health services’ number. … I don’t think it would be too much trouble for the people printing out new IDs.”
He said printing the numbers would help students who do not have access to the internet on their phones.
During the President’s Report, Alejandro Saldivar said he and vice president Carlo Flores are working on a concern from a student regarding transportation from Weslaco during the summer.
The student reached out to Parking and Transportation Services and said the student was told the department would not be able to say whether transportation would be available until May.
The student said the shuttle should be more reliable.
Saldivar also said the library is still looking for volunteers during finals week.
“If you are interested, I encourage you all … please reach out to me,” he said.
Members of the SGA attended new student orientation on April 6 on the Edinburg campus to recruit freshmen.
In other business, Alyssa Guajardo, SGA’s campus life and committee affairs chair, said she would like to better address sexual assault issues on campus.
“I think it’s a big problem, and we should deal with it,” Guajardo said. “We are thinking of meeting with [Office for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention], and maybe even partnering with Superhero Project.”
SGA members also discussed inviting the UTRGV Police Department to speak during one of their meetings.
“I want to do more research on that and see how we can improve that,” Guajardo said. “A lot of students are really concerned, so that’s something I really want to address.
